


Against All Odds

by somebodyloving



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Angst, F/M, Fem!Tony, Gen, Implied/Referenced Mind Control, Implied/Referenced Torture, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Battle of New York (Marvel), Pre-Thor: The Dark World, Sexual Tension, Travelling into Alternate Universe, no graphic depictions of sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-04-16 13:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4626603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somebodyloving/pseuds/somebodyloving
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having failed the assault on New York with Chitauri army, Loki was imprisoned by S.H.I.E.L.D. and then escorted by Thor back to Asgard to be punished for his crimes. He soon realized it wasn't going to end well for him. </p><p>While teleporting with Thor to Asgard, Loki reached out into the void for forbidden magic source, and, using the Tesseract as a power conductor, he freed himself. Unluckily for him, after that huge, magical mishmash, he ended up in an alternate universe.</p><p>Was he going to admit his error and seek out help to return into his universe? Would it be the only thing he would find?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt to write a fanfic. I've got this stored in my computer for a very long time and I'm correcting it as I go through it again. Of course, I appreciate any advice, every comment/kudos/suggestions you are willing to give me. Also, I'm bad at adding relevant tags, though, as you can see, I've tried :). I'm sorry for any inacurracies in the story (abilities of the characters, technology talk and stuff like that, I'm not an expert, also I've never been to New York or the US - sorry).
> 
> I'm not a native English speaker, so please be kind with critisism, although I welcome it :). I consider this as a way to practise writing. I find quite difficult to write, use words to express what I want in a story. I have so many ideas but no skill to write them down. But I've tried and you can see the result :).
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did :).
> 
> P.S. I've already started a sequel to this (or the main story, I'm not sure if this is a prequel or just the first part). But I'm really bad at updating fast. If you're reading this right now, I'm sorry for that. I'll try to update more often but I can't guarantee anything, as I'm currently stuck and my muse flew out of the window and ran to Tahiti (and I've heard that it is a magical place).

**Chapter 1**

It was a beautiful night. Stars were scattered all over the sky. Moonlight was streaming through the dark clouds, and was lightening ground under her feet. Fresh air always cleared her head, especially at night when the city was quieter and calmer than during the day. Most people were home sleeping, some working at their jobs. There was less trafic and noise from car horns and impatient drivers or commuters.

She was walking towards her favourite place in the city. It wasn't so far away from her flat or visited frequently by other citizens of the city. When troubles arose, she would take her iPod, keys from the flat and run there. Her parents had often argued over ridiculous things, her father had shouted at her, because he’d always wanted a son who would have taken his business after him. Nevermind that she was as clever as he was and later even smarter than him. She had even chosen the same field of her studies to prove him wrong. Her mother had been on her side but had never defended her enough to stop her father from hurting them both emotionally. He was a drunk, always working, never caring about them. Work had always come first. When she had been fed up of it all, she'd known where to go. It was the only place to hide herself from the world.

She shook her head, removing all those dreadful thoughts from her mind, and picked up a little speed to get to her favourite spot faster. It was something like a sanctuary for her and meant a lot to her, even though later in her life some people would use it against her, kidnapped her once or twice, threatened her, wanting her money. But she'd never stopped coming there despite all of those events.

It was an old bridge in the outskirts of the city, shut long ago. She remembered her friends and former university classmates saying that she had been looking for trouble, roaming around the place alone. They had been right. Still, she couldn’t abandon that place. And after her mother had died, it was the only place where she could shut off her brain. Her father had always known how to cover his sorrow if he’d ever felt a thing. She somehow knew he'd blamed himself for not having been with her mother more. She’d bore the loss very well until he’d started putting the blame on her, and she’d begun drinking and running wild at parties of the rich and spoilt. She was a wreck back then. Luckily, her true friends had helped her greatly, so that she could get over it all and start a new chapter of her life.

From the bridge, there was the best view of the city, and she could see all the people in it wandering around, seeking their fortunes and soulmates. Not that she believed in such crap, mind you.

The wind was flowing through her long, auburn hair. Streetlights were flickering and sending little reflections into her brown eyes. She wasn’t scared of dark streets or wild animals. Her friend had said to her once:

„You know, it’s not the dark we’re afraid of, right? We’re afraid of them, people I mean. See? It’s the only creature in the world who could hurt you without any reason.“ And she knew it was true. Or was it?

The bridge was covered under a thin layer of mist. It wasn’t unusual for it was very close to a river after all.

She was almost there, it was just behind the corner of an ancient building, some kind of a factory she remembered from the class dealing with the architecture in the city. A little smile appeared on her face. _‚Good old times‘_

She stepped out of the shadow of the building and went on towards her final destination. Glancing around to make sure she was alone there, she stopped on the spot. She took her headphones from the pocket of her long, black coat and plugged it into her mobile phone. Switching on the music, she closed her eyes and let the music flow into her mind and slowly remove the bad energy surrounding her body. After a while she opened her eyes again, blinked several times to clear her vision and then headed to the eastern corner of the bridge.

When she was getting near the spot, she noticed a silhouette of a person sitting there and occupying the cushion she’d once taken from home. The reason why she'd brought it there was that the ground was cold and she wasn‘t coming down with a flu.

"Damn." she muttered for herself. She hesitated for a while whether to go on towards the person, grab her cushion and go, or return home this time. She wasn’t that desperate to do a stupid thing. But it looked like the person needed a company as she did at that moment.

It was ridiculous and also very strange. This was an abandoned part of the whole complex of the factory. She hadn't met anyone around lately. This feeling to help the person with her company was creeping into her mind, even though she'd always been kind of selfish and self-centred.. ‚ _Maybe we could help each other somehow, right?‘_ Well, if whatever happened, she had a pepper spray and some hours of kickbox training in her muscles. She could defend herself easily enough. She knew the risks after all. Being a well-known person in these parts of the States was pretty dangerous. Although, it was generally known that she wasn't an amateur in self-defense.

„Okay, woman up, you can do it. Get over your fear. You need this as much as any other person in the world.“ she was whispering to herself and trying to shake her worries off the back of her mind, relax a bit.

At last she approached the person. A man covered with a green hood, wearing light black-and-green clothes (definitely not prepared for winter) and he was curled to himself as though he was freezing. Well, he might have been. She suddenly shuddered from the cold. _‚I understand, mate.‘_ She smirked a little and leaned against a girder of the bridge, folded her arms across her chest, and was looking at him, waiting.

At least five minutes passed, nothing happened. She was known for little patience and the guy was shaking even more than before. She put her headphones and mobile phone back into the left pocket of her coat, and decided to act.

„Hey. Are you alright?“ she asked with a slight concern in her voice.

He tensed and it looked as though he even stopped breathing for a while. He drew his hands out of the pockets of his hoodie, rested them on the ground at either of his sides and clenched his fists so hard, she saw his knuckles whitening despite having a little light from streetlamps as a support for her eyes.

„Leave me alone!“ he hissed at her from below his hood. She whistled offendedly and leaned more on the girder of the bridge.

„Are you serious? This is my spot, and this,“ she pointed at the cushion even though she knew he wasn’t looking,„is my cushion. Get your own, buddy. I’m not a charity. So, if you’re going to stay here, move over and let me at least grab my cushion.“ She finished the sentence stubbornly with a little mental pat on the back as an encouraging 'good girl', and waited for his reaction.

„Oh, I stepped into your territory, then. Humans have always been too territorial. They would start a war for a more insignificant thing than a cushion.“ he looked at her and smirked playfully.

She was too shocked to react immediately. There was something unusual in his smile and language. Not even talking about his eyes, green like emeralds with little sparks in them. His cheekbones were so sharp. If he wanted he could use them as a weapon. And his thin lips with that little smirk on his face. It was like a magic getting into her body, warming her from the inside. Although he was pale, a very unhealthy paleness was playing on his skin, it was very near to blue, she was enchanted by his face. _‚Chemistry is a bitch,‘_ she mused.

She didn’t even manage to pull herself together when he swiftly stood up on his feet ( _'He was very tall,'_ she noted quickly), facing and intensively piercing her with those green eyes of his as though trying to get into her soul through them. That would be so easy if he could really do that.

„Woah, easy. I didn’t mean to drive you away from here. I was just saying it’s my cushion and my spot so I’m not leaving, get it?“ she winked at him and played it cool. „And I’m so sorry to disappoint you but you’re as human as I am. If you want to insult me, try a little harder. I’m not an idiot or trash you can talk to like that.“

There was a little sign of surprise on his face but it was quickly gone. He was trying to hide all his emotions. His face blank again, looking more like a practised mask. She knew it very well for she herself tried to hide her own emotions while talking to strangers.

He stepped closer to her, flickering streetlamps were lightening all angles of his face, he looked mysterious, not like an ordinary homeless guy or a junkie. And his manner of speaking wasn’t any proof of his intellectual level at all, no. It was just an act. Surely.

„Oh, a brave one. A woman who is not afraid of a stranger. A woman in whom I can see a strong spirit and determination. Hmm...“ he put his forefinger on his lips, playing lightly with his lower lip and acting like he was thinking, lowering his eyes and stopping just above the right pocket of her coat. She shuddered, not sure if it was because of fear or excitement she was feeling.

After a beat he dropped his hand back along his side and glanced at her again, „What if I were a ‚junkie‘, as you surely assumed before, and I attacked you on the spot without warning. You are just a woman, not strong enough, and out of the civilization. No help here to reach your calling. Are you so self-confident and arrogant that you would risk your own life for a worthless cushion?“ His eyes were glowing with mischief and something else she couldn't decipher fast enough.

She was staring at him alertly, holding a pepper spray tightly in the right pocket of her coat. She didn’t know what to do, keep playing this stupid game or just take the spray out, spout it onto his face and run away. She couldn’t explain the feeling inside of her. It was like something was waking up within her body, her inner self reaching out for him. She wanted to know more about him and couldn’t explain why. His face, his voice, his whole appearance and posture was tempting. It was almost magnetic. She straightened her stance not to look frightened.

„You think I would go here and don’t know how to defend myself? If so, you’re a fool. Besides, you don’t look or sound like a junkie. Have you looked in the mirror lately? Or listened to yourself? Um...“ she frowned and slapped herself mentally for that compliment on his sexy face. He smirked again.

„Well, I didn’t...I didn’t mean to say that. Anyway, I’m leaving. Don’t have time for this.“ She was about to leave the place and let the cushion be. It’s not worth the trouble, especially today when she was tired and just needed to relax. She didn’t think she had these suicidal tendencies in her.

She resolutely lifted off the girder but was pushed back against it, the force he used knocked the air out of her lungs. Very strong hands were holding her on the spot. His long, thin fingers were burying into the flesh of her arms. Her back was hurting a bit because of the push and yes, the bridge hadn’t been made of paper.

"Shit." she hissed and grimaced a little from pain. He eased up a bit but didn’t let her go. She looked at his face in shock and was trying to read his thoughts, frowning in concentration. Unfortunately, he was a good actor and didn’t show any emotions or his intentions. His face darkened and his eyes lost the playful sparks she’d seen in them before.

„ _You_ are a fool. Do not talk to me like I am your friend. I was willing to let you go, now I am not certain of my rushed decision. You humans are so weak and breakable. But you are a woman, reckless, too arrogant to see a danger in front of her. Or... is it something else?“ she wiggled and tried to get out from his grasp. No chance to get away from it by force. He was very strong even though his body looked fragile. So she had three options. She had to use her wits, or charm, or brains if she’d have to, and get out of this situation unharmed, preferably.

He hummed. „I see. It is so easy to read you. You are like an open book to me.“

„So what? Are you going to kill me or talk me to death? Or it's money, isn't it? Tsk...," she grumbled sharply. "I am what I am. If you knew me that much as you’ve been claiming for ages now, you would known what I’m doing here. And don’t tell me you don’t know me. Everyone does. Nah, of course. Everyone wants something and they think I have everything. Like I’m some kind of a prodigy. If they just used their brain, it would be easier to live in this place. Get it?“

Sparks returned into his eyes and a smirk appeared on his face again. It wasn’t a devilish smirk. He had been waiting for it. He looked satisfied like he’d just won the first price. Had he?

„What do you want from me?“ she said firmly. He was staring at her for a moment, apparently thinking through what he was going to do with her. His look softened subtly but if she didn't know this game of masks and pretence, she wouldn't notice this small change of his expression.

„I was looking for you.“ He dropped his hands and stepped back a bit and was watching her intently. „You do not know who I am. Huh. I... I do not know what I was thinking." realizing something he added in a low voice as it was more for him and not her.

He looked disappointed but not for long. _‚A good actor‘_

„But I remember, you are my only chance to survive. Please drop that weapon in your pocket.“ He looked down at the right side of her coat and then quickly winked at her. „Do not think I am not aware of it. It will not help you. Come.“ He grabbed her right arm.

„Wha-at?“ she blurted out in confusion.

He whispered something she didn't recognize, and in the blink of an eye they were gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is actually the first one just from Loki's POV and it's longer (wow, I didn't expect it either). 
> 
> I was thinking what I could do to improve the experience of reading this. I'm also a musician (an amataur, doing it for fun) and some time ago I composed a piece which could become a main theme for the story. It may not be that impressive, not a rock and roll thing, but that's the point. My OFC is not completely like Tony. So, if you're interested, you can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/somebodyloving/give-me-a-chance/s-sDQhw?in=somebodyloving/sets/game-music/s-TWIlH . I was also thinking about making a short video. I have some ideas, the problem is that I don't know how. I'm not good at that particular skill. But maybe I'll try someday.
> 
> You can also imagine that it's the kind of music she listens to :).
> 
> Unbetad.

It was a beautiful night. Stars were scattered all over the sky. Moonlight was streaming through the dark clouds and was lightening ground under his feet. He was looking over the city and enjoying the cool wind flowing through his long, raven hair. He closed his emerald eyes for a moment and was listening to whispering trees nearby. Some of the branches of the trees were rubbing at the old structure he'd nearly teleported into earlier, making screeching noises. It was unpleasant to his ears.

It was fortunate that he arrived unharmed, all his limbs intact. Using runes was quite unpredictable and sometimes even dangerous. But there were more crucial things to think about. Noticing he got there before the person he was looking for, his lips curled into a small smile. 

While observing all those lights, and especially life, in the city, he lost himself in his thoughts. All those humans, like ants, so many of them crammed into such a small space. He then recalled that soothing feeling when he'd been watching Asgard at night from afar for the first time, without anyone disturbing his constantly working mind. How captivated he'd been just looking at it in awe. It was beautiful, his home, his city...

He hissed angerly, remembering it was all gone, everything he loved, the only place he'd known and lived in his whole long life. He snarled over his incapability to return on his own. It was hard enough for him to admit it. Now he had to convince the only person who he knew could help him, and there was always the possibility that it might not work and he would have to spend the rest of his life on this petty planet, different version anyway, with all those pathetic creatures around. His powers had been fading slowly from his body since the first second he realized what had happened to him. He even started to use runes and other kinds of spells, just to save more energy.

He clenched his fists until he felt the pain from his nails digging into his palms. Shaking a little, he turned abruptly toward the bridge and forced his legs to move. He had a goal, his mind had a purpose, and he couldn't let it slip away just like that, without even trying to fix it. He knew that no one would be looking for him back home, he was lost, unwanted and full of pain and rage. But he needed to put it all aside and concentrate on what was important right here and now. He required assistance and he couldn't stay here. The court scientists weren't all-knowing. If he remembered well, this could have been the first occurance of the phenomenon he personally experienced. Of course, there were theories and speculations how it could work. But still, no one had ever tried this experiment, even in controlled conditions.

Well, he was one of the smartest of his people (could he still call them his people?), so he had some ideas how to get back. And he also knew that he had to return to his universe. This unbalance between the two places could lead to an end with devastating consequences. However, he needed someone who would understand what he wanted, and who wouldn't brush his ideas off right away without any explanation. The thought calling Heimdall had crossed his mind, but he would rather returned back undetected by this version of Asgard, if he could help it. So the skills covering his presense would come in handy in his current situation.

He couldn't deny the feeling of shock and also a strange feeling of disappointment when he learned that the only person who could somehow help him was actually different from the person he'd met back where he'd come from. And also, she was _she_...like, he didn't think this world was so divergent from that he knew. Anyway, it was easy to get information, local currency, also other important things to make his stay more pleasant (an apartment, newly furnished, thank Gods) with his powers and skills of illusion, but he felt weak everytime he used them, and it seemed that this universe was sucking all the reserves from his body. It was so odd that he even got worried from time to time. But he shouldn't have been so surprised, he didn't belong there. He had to return back home before he'd lose the needed strength to carry out his plan.

This cold and biting weather wasn't problem for him to endure. Of course, as a frost giant he didn't even need to wear so many layers of clothing but he was used to his usual attire from Asgard that he just couldn't get rid of it. He wanted to pretend for a little longer. Green hoodie, black shirt, dark leather trousers. He needed to blend in, but he didn't want to give up his colours... yet. It was the only thing reminding him of good times before everything had gone to Hell. He was too attached to the place he had once called home that he couldn't think of wearing something else. And honestly, in this situation his mind was occupied with other, more important things than the change of his style of clothing. For instance, there was this matter of persuading that woman to cooperate with him, and willingly. Well, he wasn't called a silver-tongue just because of his peculiar adventures. A few threats and she would help him. And he knew with certainty that when she realized what was going on, she would work with him even without any promise of payment. She couldn't be that different from the version he knew quite well, ambicious and reckless, arrogant and selfish. He paused for a few seconds and realized that these qualities sounded somehow familiar to him. Then he shook his head and put the thought in the back of his mind. _'Not important_.'

Again and again his mind got overwhelmed by thoughts and memories that wouldn't help him even if he ever sorted them out. It was just distracting, and from the moment of his arrival (or more like a dark, deep, and long fall) he couldn't concentrate on what was relevant there and then. And if he ever pushed it too far, he would realize it was rather vital. Because without his powers he was nothing, useless, mortal like everyone else around him right now. He would possibly die of old age (for him), have wrinkles all over his body, and Gods knew what diseases he would suffer from. Was he really thinking about this? Giving up so easily without a fight? His rage and dispair was about to crush him from inside and he didn't know how to stop it. He couldn't breathe and was on the edge of hyperventilation. _'Calm yourself._ ' He shouted at himself mentally, forcing his lungs to take in some air and then let go. These two motions were repeated several times over, until he was feeling alright again. His chest ached from the exhaustion he put himself through for his lack of control.

He leant with his back into the nearby concrete wall, decorated by weird pictures, his mind supplied quickly. His brain was still sharp but sometimes kept running wild. Focusing on things around him always grounded him.

He shut his eyes forcely, rubbing them with his palms. His face twisted in unnatural grimace. He was losing it the same way as that time, years ago when he had fallen into the abyss of the universe and lended at Thanos' feet, and during Chitauri attack on New York. This feeling of no control and powerlessness was his old companion, excruciating, as ever.

He shuddered and pulled his body from the wall, suddenly feeling tired as he had been running too long (and he actually had, from his problems), and with no idea how he was going to get through this all, his shoulders slumped down what looked like defeat. His mind was already weak, he knew that too well for his liking. Almost anybody could use this against him as Thanos had done before. Well, this time it was his fault for he had run away from Thor, using spells he had known he shouldn't have used while teleporting. In vain royal mentors had taught him not to use such unexplored powers, taking it from the nothingness in space. They knew it was dangerous and unpredictable. He had escaped but at what cost?

He shook all these feelings and unwelcome emotions off his back, letting it slide down from his spine like an unwanted touch of ice, and went on towards that famous spot. Apparently everyone knew where it was.

 _'She is so reckless.'_ he smirked for himself sliding his fingers of the right hand through his dark hair. Some strands of his hair were hanging into his face, too wild to put them in order. _'I so look forward to meeting her.'_ Curiousity was better anyway than anything else.

Moving farther into the shadows of the bridge, he noticed a little cushion, hidden from powers of nature, lying on the ground near the girder of the metal construction which was built over a nearby river. The mist was its only evidence, though. He didn't hear its babbling well from where he was standing. Too much noise flew from the city despite the fact it was night.

The cushion was dark grey and fitted just for one person. There were creases on it as though someone would sit on it frequently. He was in the right place for sure. When he went closer, he saw stubs of cigarettes. Centuries ago, he had learned that humans had indulged in various vices. Naturally, Aesir weren't that much different from them. But this particular one was revolting. Human life span was already too short, he had never understood the fact that they would willingly shorten it even more. _'Not important._ ' he reprimanded himself.

He looked around to see if he was alone. As his informer had said there shouldn't have been anyone around here in this complex of buildings. People had tried to endanger her before, of course. No surprise there, but they had never succeeded. And that wasn't surprise, either. He still remembered his failed attempt to control _him_ in his Tower. His cheekiness, arrogant behaviour, brave but not the same sort as Thor was. He didn't have anything to defend himself. It was refreshing. Either way, he hadn't gone there to admire someone's recklesness.  Then the pain followed when he had been pinned down by that awful, green creature. He shuddered involuntarily. _'Not a good time for this train of thought, either.'_

He took deep breath and sat on the cushion. He didn't mind staying in the cold wind, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. As it turned out, the cushion was quite comfortable, soft on the touch, and it was also easy to forget every concern that was threatening to suffocate him. He felt as the heavy burden on his shoulders was slowly disappearing into the thin, chilly air. But not fast enough, and it didn't took much time when anxiouty was returning into his mind, and every cell in his body was screaming and urging him to run away and hide. Once more he was overwhelmed by his current situation. He couldn't think of anything to ease his nerves. How he came to this? This state of... whatever it was.

"Not now!" he hissed in a whisper. "Focus!"

Of course, and right at that moment, she decided to turn up, certainly with her usual demeanour, light amusement in her contemplating voice and selfish behaviour, he thought. Nothing happened for a couple of minutes, then she couldn't hold herself any longer.

„Hey. Are you alright?“ she said with concern in her voice but he dismissed it as something he didn't either want or ask for.

„Leave me alone!“ he spit the words angrily after a couple of minutes of silence. He didn't look up at her. He just stared at the city in front of him, squeezing the concrete ground hard where his hands were resting. He didn't even realize that it nearly crumbled under his fingers.

„Are you serious? This is my spot, and this..." there was a short pause. "... is my cushion. Get your own, buddy. I’m not a charity. So, if you’re going to stay here, move over and let me at least grab my cushion.“ she replied with determination in her voice he hadn't anticipated, not even giving up this valueless item he was sitting on. He would play this game, study her reactions.

„Oh, I stepped into your territory, then. Humans have always been too territorial. They would start a war for a more insignificant thing than a cushion.“ he finally allowed himself to give her a little glance and his ever-present smirk. He felt how his magic sparkled on his fingertips but he was sure she hadn't noticed. It was subtle and controlled. Thank Gods.

He then sprang up on his heels and came up to her, waiting for her reaction.

„Woah, easy. I didn’t mean to drive you away from here. I was just saying it’s my cushion and my spot so I’m not leaving, get it?“ she winked at him like it was everyday occurance. „And I’m so sorry to disappoint you but you’re as human as I am. If you want to insult me, try a little harder. I’m not an idiot or trash you can talk to like that.“

He anticipated resistance in some degree, pathetic but amusing, nevertheless. It wasn't anything he himself wouldn't do if he were in the same position, but damned to the pits of Hell, he was too emotional to face all those cheeky remarks, winks she was throwing into his face. He had to hold himself not to fly into rage and punch her, human or not. But he had endured more and he needed her, so he clenched his jaw and supressed his anger.

 _'She will drive me insane and I do not even need evil spirits from the Void to help her.'_ he commented mentally. He quickly collected his wits.

„Oh, a brave one. A woman who is not afraid of a stranger. A woman in whom I can see a strong spirit and determination. Hmm...“ he said thoughtfully then put his forefinger on his lips, playing lightly with his lower lip. He looked down on her coat and stopped just above the right pocket of it. _'Of course, she has something to defend herself_.' he thought, smirking, and met her brown eyes again. _'She was hiding her fear very well, professional._ ' he mused with amusement.

„What if I were a ‚junkie‘, as you surely assumed before, and I attacked you on the spot without warning. You are just a woman, not strong enough, and out of the civilization. No help here to reach your calling. Are you so self-confident and arrogant that you would risk your own life for a worthless cushion?“ he pushed her into the corner with his words and tone. She must have thought he would let her talk to him like that. Well, she was wrong. He might try to threaten her a bit, just to see what she was capable of. Still, she was trying his patience and in this state of mind, he couldn't let her keep trying. _'I need her help.'_ he repeated in his head repeatedly.

She was staring at him alertly, hands in her pockets, probably holding that thing she was going to use, if she felt the need. _'She is not stupid, as I expected. Good.'_

There was a longer pause, and the tension between them awoke his magic and little sparks in his eyes. He felt it. He sensed her insecurity but also courage, and oh, she didn't possess any self-preservation at all because in that little moment, he saw something in her eyes. Something that he'd seen before. _'They are not so different after all.'_

„You think I would go here and don’t know how to defend myself? If so, you’re a fool. Besides, you don’t look or sound like a junkie. Have you looked in the mirror lately? Or listened to yourself? Um...“ she frowned. He smirked, knowing very well he was attractive. And the fact that she didn't know him, didn't experienced what he was capable of, and what he would do, just because he could.

„Well, I didn’t...I didn’t mean to say that." she stuttered.  "Anyway, I’m leaving. Don’t have time for this.“ She was about to leave and he couldn't let her, not now when he realized she could actually help him.

She lifted off the girder but he pushed her back, holding her strongly, keeping her on the spot.

"Shit!" she hissed and grimaced a little from pain. He didn't let he go interly but eased up his grip for a bit. She looked at his face in shock, frowning in concentration. He knew she was assessing him, trying to find the answers on her questions in his face. But he'd learned a long time ago how to mask his intentions. He was a good actor, a trickster. He was also offended with her behaviour, speaking to him as he was some pathetic mortal. He had been worshipped as a God not long ago. She hurt his pride and his mood darkened, dropped into the rage once more.

„ _You_ are a fool. Do not talk to me like I am your friend. I was willing to let you go, now I am not certain of my rushed decision. You humans are so weak and breakable. But you are a woman, reckless, too arrogant to see a danger in front of her. Or... is it something else?“ She wiggled and tried to get out from his grasp. He was holding her firmly, not too much to hurt her because he needed her after all.

He was thinking for a beat, trying to understand her. _'What are you trying to do?'_

He hummed and decided to go with a little trick. „I see. It is so easy to read you. You are like an open book to me.“

„So what? Are you going to kill me or talk me to death? Or it's money, isn't it? Tsk...," she grumbled sharply. "I am what I am. If you knew me that much as you’ve been claiming for ages now, you would known what I’m doing here. And don’t tell me you don’t know me. Everyone does. Nah, of course. Everyone wants something and they think I have everything. Like I’m some kind of a prodigy. If they just used their brain, it would be easier to live in this place. Get it?“

 _'Oh, she is angry, still arrogant but that could be my advantage._ ' He smirked slightly and let his magic show in his eyes. He had been waiting for this, her determination, proving to him she was strong. He would convince her easily. There were no doubts about that.

„What do you want from me?“ she said firmly. He was staring at her for a moment, thinking through what he was going to do now. How she reminded him of his mother for a second.

„I was looking for you.“ He dropped his hands and stepped back a bit and was watching her intently. „You do not know who I am. Huh. I... I do not know what I was thinking." Realizing suddenly that she didn't know him. _'How could she?_ ' She had never met him. Then it hit him. _'Oh, that is the cause of my magic vanishing like a mist.'_  he thought, but quickly regained his attention on her.

He was disappointed a bit but not for long. He was a trickster and he couldn't show his emotions, in other words, weaknesses.

„But I remember, you are my only chance to survive. Please drop that weapon in your pocket.“ He looked down at the right side of her coat and then quickly winked at her. „Do not think I am not aware of it. It will not help you. Come.“ He grabbed her right arm, whispering a spell of teleportation, using his own runes.

He heard her confused _'Wha-at?!'_

And then in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see I have this particular image of Loki and what happened to him after he had fallen from the bridge. It's not a new concept but it's something I believe happened. I don't know if it's still valid after Thor: The Dark World. But you know, it's an AU. It's not like I have to follow the canon :). I hope you like it anyway.
> 
> Comments/Kudos/suggestions are appreciated and always welcome :).


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, yay :). 
> 
> Comments/suggestions are appreciated :)

**Cha pter 3**

She stumbled a bit when someone's hand let hers go, but in a moment she regained her balance back with the solid support of a wall close to where she was standing, or trying to. Her chest was heaving hard and she couldn’t quite catch her breath. It took her several breath-ins and breath-outs to calm her heart down. It was beating frantically as she’d been running a marathon for an hour.

She didn’t do running. The only activities she’d been doing was lying on the couch and watching TV, occassionally kickboxing or driving a motorbike, actually she owned several of them and a couple of sport cars, beautiful machines she enjoyed polishing and improving. Her mother didn’t approve, because she was interested in things for men. Father’d always wanted a son, so she’d been doing everything in her power to please him, to show him she could be even better than any man in his business. Well...

She blinked several times to clear her vision and looked around herself. This definitely wasn’t the old bridge she’d been just a minute ago. She remembered being on that bridge and talking with a stranger who’d managed to pissed her off royally within a few minutes, moreover he’d been talking nonsense the whole damned time. She started to regret every fucking second of the encounter with the guy.

The room was dark but she recognized shapes of furniture. But apart from that, she couldn’t see a bloody thing. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her, so she turned around and in that second someone switched the lights on.

She blinked several times again as the light was hurting her eyes. The place was a livingroom, still somehow covered in a dimmed light, but she immediately noticed the guy standing over a piece of furniture that looked like a minibar. She was holding a pepper spray all the time. It was the only thing for her defence here and it gave her some sense of safety. Even though he knew about it. 'Damn'.

She was standing near the wall and watching him. From time to time her eyes glanced around the place to register everything in it. She noticed he’d changed his clothes some time between their arrival and her short moment of confusion. _‚I wasn’t out that long, what the actual hell is going on?‘_

She heard him saying something but she couldn’t concentrate on his voice. Her senses were too overwhelmed, and at the same time she was trying to memorize the room and all doors and possible exits. She noticed that the furniture was modern and black but when lightened, it changed colour into dark green. There were some trinkets, and possibly also his personal possessions made of gold, or it looked like it.

Suddenly, she felt a presence of someone standing too close to her, right in front of her. She slowly turned to face him.

„Would you like a drink or something to eat perhaps?“ he said with a calm, contented voice, tilting his head ever so slightly and piercing her with his eyes. He was standing too close for her liking, traping her between a wall and a cabinet. It seemed they didn’t teach him anything about personal space. Actually, they didn’t teach him anything about good manners at all. He'd kidnapped her, just like that, for no reason. Or at least he'd forgotten to inform her about it.

She noticed that he wore black, leather pants, dark green shirt and his long raven hair were tied up into a ponytail on the back of his head. Some strands were freely falling into his face. It didn’t take a genius to know they were at his home.

„Wha-at? Are you serious?“ she asked incredulously, gaping at him with a slightly opened mouth. He rolled his eyes.

„I asked you, in a very polite way, if you wanted something. And I am sure it was comprehensible enough, was it not?“ he huffed, turned around and went back to the minibar. He then poured out something what looked like scotch into two tumblers, took one in each hand and slowly and elegantly walked to the couch. Then he offered her one tumbler over the table and sat down into the comfortably looking couch with the other. She took it without question, drank it all like water and put the tumbler on the table in front of him with a little thud. He then gestured her like a gentleman ( _'What the hell?'_ ) to sit into the armchair opposite him. The only thing separating them was that small black table. She didn’t tear her eyes from him, still a bit afraid of what he could do to her, and didn’t even know his intentions, why did he kidnapped her, and then it hit her.

„How the hell did you do that? Just... how?“ she asked in shock. He hadn’t been able to drug her any way possible. In one moment, they were on the bridge, and in the other they were standing in his livingroom. There had to be a scientific explanation. ‚ _We’re not in a fantasy and he's not a wizard, for God’s sake‘_

The question startled him for a beat but he quickly restored his composure. He drank a little from his glass and then put it on the table gracefully. She was watching his every move attentively. She didn’t even blink. Confidence and power was radiating from him. He was lean and tall, though he was occupying the whole damn couch (and it was large). He was literally sprawling all over it, not exactly slouching, but he's sort of spread out. Still, he managed to look like a king. It was inviting, even though other people wouldn't have looked as damn sexy as he did. But it was apparent he knew how attractive he was, and he used it for his advantage. It was working, she felt it.

„Do you not know?“ when she didn’t respond, he took a hint and continued. „I am surprised you have not encountered with such powers yet. I wonder what you do for a living in this universe, hmm? Are you an inventor, or a scientist, or something more secret?“ he showed something what looked like a smile, and took the tumbler from the table again, playing with it while waiting for her to answer quite weird questions for a man who kidnapped her. Moreover he knew who she was. At least it seemed like that just an hour ago. Even in this moment it was clear as a day he recognized her. She realized he was testing her.

She frowned and was trying to find some clues what he was thinking about. It was difficult considering his ability to hide every emotion and keep his face blank.

„Wait a second. I’m not getting it. First, you kidnapped me somehow, which, by the way, I asked you about a minute ago and you didn’t answer me properly. Have you ever heard about manners? It’s rude to answer a question by another question. Okay, second, how come you knew me on that bridge and now you’re asking me who I am and what I do. Are you high or something? It must have been a hell of a trip. Third, d’you have more of that good stuff in there? I need one more drink to even begin to comprehend what you want from me. Who the hell are you?“ She took a deep breath and leant into the armchair, trying to relax some more.

It was easier to ease the tension in her head by every second. The alcohol in her blood was slowly getting into her brain and it was soothing her. The room was warm, she heard a crackling of the fireplace but didn’t see it. ‚ _Maybe in another room‘._ She was analyzing every little thing in the room.

He laughed loudly. Actually, it was for the first time he'd ever showed amusement, even though it wasn't amusing for her. She saw the sparks in his eyes again and knew already what that meant. He was playing with her and he was enjoying it, not all the time, but the most of it.

„I remember every moment of us talking to one another and you have always been the one who won the argument either with words or only your boldness. So cheeky and sassy. Either you are female or a man, you are quite the same in every reality. But...“ he sighned heavily. „Let us start again, shall we? I think I should have introduced myself first. I apologize.“ He stood up calmly and smoothened his shirt. He didn’t make any sense. _‚At least he has some manners after all‘_

He bowed subtly and stretched out his right hand. „My name is Loki.“

She was reluctant to let him go away with it and avoid her questions like that, change the subject so easily and think that it was okay to ignore all what she said as it didn’t mean anything. She didn’t like the way he was treating her, flirting with her even. He definitely knew her, but somehow it made no sense.

 _'Every reality, we've talked before? He's freaking insane.'_ A lot of things of this puzzle were missing and she had to rely on what he would be willing to tell her. She narrowed her eyes but stood up nevertheless. She shook his hand cautiously but firmly.

„Bethany Stark. She smiled half-heartedly. „Pleasure to meet you.“ _‚Whoever you are‘_

„Same to you.“ He smiled lightly. „Straight to the business, please. I need your assistance.“ He signed tiredly. „To be more precise, I need that blue device of yours. You surely know what I mean.“ He winked and smirked. He let her hand go, she was shocked to realize her hand was shaking.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Applause for my brain, I managed to write another chapter. Even though I'm having migraine as hell. 
> 
> Anyway, there are mentions of sexual tension, so, you've been warned!
> 
> Any suggestions and comments could actually help me to improve and maybe be faster in updating. :)
> 
> I appreciate you're even reading this.

**Chapter 4**

\---

The door to her father’s workroom was opened slightly. She had never been there because her parents had strongly forbidden it. But on that day she was so terribly bored of her nanny and was seeking for something what could entertain her huge imagination.

She was a very clever little girl and had always stood out of the crowd, even though she was petite and untalkative. She had never fitted in the private kindergarten which she had been sent to. Other girls played with toys and dolls, she drew patterns or read intellecually complex books for her age. While playing games with other kids, she got bored fast and nannies didn’t know what to do with her. Her intellect was a lot higher than that of others.

That afternoon, the boredom felt neverending to her. When she was hiding from her nanny, and searching for something to do, she wandered to the door leading into her father’s workroom. She knew she wasn’t allowed to go there, still, she was intriqued by the place. It was very tempting and unknown to her, like a magical place too secret and mysterious for common people. It was something she couldn’t resist for too long, so she quietly opened the door a crack and sneaked inside. Her father didn’t hear her sneaking into the room at all. He was working, bending down over the table and concentrating on a thing what looked like a piece of machine. She was watching him frowning from concentration over the thing he was working on, and was mesmerized by the image of her father looking as his mind was out of this world completely, as he couldn’t see and hear what was happening around him.

She didn’t understand how important was his job at that time. She was just roaming around the room silently, looking for things which could occupied her for a while. It was harder and harder to find something like that.

At last, she stopped at a drawer which caught her attention. She could reach it and dig inside because it wasn’t so high from the floor as other drawers. Her father still hadn’t noticed her presence. He was so absorbed by his project that he didn’t even eat or drink when he was at it.

She took out some papers. There were strange pictures. She didn’t like them so she thought she could make them better and please her father with it. So she was happily drawing her own shapes and patterns when she heard rustling nearby her father’s desk.

„What are you doing here?“ he asked angrily. „What are you doing with it?!“ he yelled at her. His face in horror he got up from the chair and hurried to grab his sketches from her. „Oh my god. What did you do? Maria, where are you?! Dammit!“ he was staring on those papers with wide eyes and swearing loudly. „You ruined it, everything. Oh my god, it was the most important project in my life and you ruined it with crayons.“ He hissed and shouted for her mother again.

„What’s going on?“ her mother rushed into the room, distress in her eyes. „Howard? Why are you yelling at her? She’s scared. Can’t you see?“ she scowled at him inquiring the explanation for all of that. She then crouched and started rubbing soothing circles on the back of her daughter’s head. A little girl she was, she suddenly couldn’t hide from the all attention and the furious glare of her father. It was frightening. Even though she’d always craved for it. Just once she wanted her father playing with her.

„She just drew a stupid car across the most important project I’ve ever worked on. Isn’t it enough? This!“ he pointed at the sketches, outraged. „this is revolutionary, Maria. This could change the whole world as we know it, and now I have to start from the scratch.“ he was holding it like his life depended on it.

Back then, she could see the anger and disappointment from his eyes. She didn’t understand how crucial those designs were. Her mother took her out of the room, then she found her nanny and left her alone again. She ran anyway and hid in the closet in her mother’s room.

From that moment until this day she’d been trying to make it up to her father, make him proud and be recognized for her own accomplishments, not only as a daughter of the most famous inventor, and engineer of the first arc reactor in the world which was powering the whole Stark Industries. Her father was a war hero, he manufactured weapons for the United States for years since the World War II. It was very difficult to catch up with his achievements, and having been under the scrutiny all of his co-workers, and after his death also the media, it was even harder.

\---

Now she knew what those designs had meant to him. She was after him in some character traits after all. Nobody except her best friend and personal assistant was allowed to enter into her workroom.

At that time it hadn’t changed the world, not yet. Now she was convinced it would, someday, turn the world around. She’d already improved the thing significantly. It hadn’t been finished yet, but it was coming to that point very quickly. It was her secret for the time being, no one else knew about it but her old friend, well, and Loki, apparently.

_***_

 „Wait a minute. How...“ she coughed either from the shock or to stop herself before she’d say more and give away the impression she knew what Loki meant. „Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.“ She was trying to cover her anxiety and went straight to the minibar to pour herself another drink.

„I am sure that you very well know what I am talking about, Bethany.“ Loki said calmly and with certainty in his voice. He then walked to the minibar and stopped one step behind her. She knew he was smirking, it was radiating from him, this sense for mischief and devilment. The self-confidence and assuredness of his actions and words emanated from his whole demeanour. Moreover, his using her first name in such a gentlemanlike way, as though he came straight from the 18th century London, had somehow sent shivers all over her body.

He reached out for a bottle of scotch over her shoulder with his right hand and elegantly took it from its previous position. She shivered from the closeness of his body as if the aura around him was spreading its borders out through her skin into her heart which started pounding in her chest like crazy. She didn’t move an inch. She was just standing on the spot and even stopped breathing for a moment, unconsciously clenching her fingers around the tumbler with amber liquid she’d poured into the glass and drank just a minute ago.   _‚Get a grip, Stark‘_ and by that, all these very dangerous thoughts were cleared out of her preoccupied mind. She heard him sipping his drink and it took her another several seconds to realize he put the bottle back sometime during the fight between her reason and reactions of her body.

She breathed in and slowly breathed out, and straightened her posture not to show him how uncomfortable she was feeling around him.

„Stop worrying yourself so much. I am the only one who knows.“ Loki assured her with a small chuckle. Frankly, it didn’t help her to ease the tension that had been building within her for the whole time she’d been in his presence. He was practically a strange guy from the street who had kidnapped her and she still didn’t know how he’d done it. At least she now knew his intentions.

She turned around to face him and looked into his eyes. She knew she would regret it but it was the last chance to deny the existence of ‚the blue device‘ as he’d called it. So she tried to put on her ‚media‘ face and pose she’d always been using while communicating with journalists and other such ventures, and sometimes with the board of directors, too.

„As I said. I don’t know what are you talking about, buddy.“ She grinned. Her confidence in mastering the skill of lying was enormous. However, it wasn’t enough to trick Loki. After her denial he was literally throwing daggers on her with his eyes alone. He didn’t even blink as he moved quickly towards her. Then he grapped her by her shoulders. By then she was sure not to lie him ever again. All that anger gathered in his emerald eyes was slowly shooting into her whole body, and she felt like she was being pierced with a bunch of little needles. She gasped from the pain coming from the region of her shoulders where he was holding her tightly with his both hands. He was boring his long, strong fingers into her flesh through all clothes she was wearing. It felt as though he was stabbing her with icicles. She was cold. Little droplets of tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away.

„Do not lie to me! Stop this pretence. There are limits of my patience.“ he hissed and bared out his perfect teeth. He then eased his grip on her shoulders as he realized what he was doing to her, and after few seconds he dropped his arms alongside of his torso and walked away from her.

Despite her vision was blurred with signs of tears, she saw him go to the window, the only one in the room. He leant onto the frame of the window and rested his head on his forearm. His tumbler with scotch he was holding just a minute ago nowhere to be seen. ‚ _How?‘_ She shook her head, still feeling cold traces of his hands on her arms. She touched it carefully. "Ouch." she frowned with pain. That couldn't be frostbite.

„My apologies. I have lost my temper. I...“ he signed and ran his fingers through his raven hair. „I do not want to hurt you.“ He said while looking into the darkness of the night.

Her knees were shaking from all the anger seeping from him. He sounded desperate. Just a few minutes ago he’d been so confident, acting like a king in his kingdom. But now she felt his fear even though he‘d tried to hide it and he almost succeeded. Almost.

She supported her weight against the wall with her left hand, in the other she was... _'Oh.'_ The tumbler had fallen on the floor during their 'argument'. She looked up at him and didn’t take her eyes off him. He was too unpredictable to even dare to blink.

This whole encounter had been turning into quite a difficult situation she wasn’t prepared for. Loki’s behaviour was very complicated, and his swinging moods and unstable state of his mind didn't help the situation either. At one moment he was all gentleness and playfullness, surrounding with the film of nobility and charisma, flirting with her like it was natural to him. At the other though, he could turn into an uncontrollable beast living only by animal instincts of survival, with no manners or control at all. He wanted Bethany to help him, to give him the arc reactor, a very powerful thing, by the way, without her even questioning it, as it was perfectly normal to hand him over something which he could easily use as a weapon of mass destruction. There was a great chance it couldn’t get worse, or could it. The guy needed an appointment with a psychiatrist.

She gathered as much bravery and strength as possible and tried to start the conversation with the guy in the way she knew the most.

„You know I can introduce you to my shrink. He’s a good guy and sometimes makes funny jokes. He might be able to help you with your temper and swinging moods.“ she was at ease on the surface but in the inside she was swearing and blaming her self-destructive tendencies for this missguided remark. _‚Smooth, very smooth, Stark‘_

So she didn’t move, just waiting for his reaction, even though one part of her brain was screaming at her to stop provoking him because he was dangerous. She knew it very well. But it was in her nature. She was risking her life to feel the adrenaline within her, flowing through her veins, in her blood mixed with other proteins. She was afraid. She was actually frightened to death. He could have killed her any time and with his abilities, which she acknowledged already some time ago, he could hide her body without anyone even noticing she’d got missing.

She’d been through this kind of days several times, just hiding in other mansions of her family and working on stuff surrounded by pizza and booze to keep her awake. Everyone who knew her well enough wouldn’t be missing her, much less looking for her. It was her life and her colleagues had learned long ago it was useless to even try finding her. Unless she’d been out for a week or more. That was unusual and it made people get worried where she’d been and what she’d been doing.

„O-oh, I wonder if you are even listening to me. However, it should not surprise me as it did. What about that psychiatrist of yours? I do not see how he is helping _you_. I wonder have you got no instinct of self-preservation? You do not know who you are playing with, Bethany. I have little patience for your jokes and snarky remarks, and I loathe to be lied to.“ Loki didn’t move, still looking outside through the window, talking very calmly. His breath was creating little smudges on the windowpane. She also noticed little droplets flowing down. It was so weird, nothing makes sense!

Seconds were passing too slowly for her liking. She didn’t know how to approach this crazy guy. He was reacting to things so strangely and unexpectedly. It was infuriating. All her talking, charm and wits were failing through the whole chat.

„I am from another world, another universe.“ He started and laughed, but it wasn’t a happy laugh. That was full of desperation and sadness. „I need that device to return where I come from. And you will help me. Willingly or not. It is your decision to make. As much as I am fond of your intellect I do not belong here.“ He turned around swiftly to face her again, free strands of his black hair flying with the quick and graceful movement of his head. His eyes bored into her own, seeking the truth from her mind without her consent. There was a small curl in the corner of his mouth. He was once more in his playful mood. She would never be able to delete his smirk from her mind ever again. It was burnt into her brain and settled in her brain cells for the rest of her days. _'I'm doomed.'_ Her brain supplied.

After a moment she snorted: „Tsk, you’re not kidding, are you? You really believe you’re from an alternate universe.“ She laughed loudly. „Beside the fact, there is no evident proof of its existence, you even believe I can help you get out from here and go back to your universe. Sorry for the language, but... Are you fucking nuts? There is no fucking way on this whole planet to manage that. Even with presumably my ‚blue device‘ as you put it. It’s not possible. The power needed for this thing is incredibly huge. You would need a very good conductor, something which would accumulate and hold the gathered power, there is no such conductor on this planet, or even a material to start with, by the way. But, pressuming in your magic land there is, then maybe, just maybe with some alterations it could work.“ She whistled either from the exhaustion gathered in her body or the image of it all being possible and actually working.

He grinned and looked like he just found a treasure worth of million dollars in his pocket. She quirked her right eyebrow. She really wasn't amused.

„As I said. I need your device, nothing more. I will return back into my own universe and you will never hear of me again. I can promise you that. However,...“ his whole body turned into a defensive stance in a second. „...if you trick me, if you attempt to outsmart me, and I am sure you will always have this idea in your head, trust me you will regret it. I may be _slightly_ fond of your mind, but I am no fool.“ After all his threats he winked playfully at her and went to sit on the couch. Opening the book, which he picked up on the way from the shelf of his bookcase, he added. „Please, make yourself comfortable. The guest room is that way.“ Without even looking at her, he gestured elegantly with his hand towards the door on the left from her. „If you need anything else, do not shy of asking me. And please, do not run away. I would immediately find you and it would have a terrible consenquence for you.“ He then looked at her from the corner of his eye, smirked again and after a beat he returned to his reading.

She managed just a silent „Eh...“ She was completely out of words. And it might have been for the first time in years this happened to her. „Okay.“ She said more to herself than him. She glanced in direction of the door and was thinking through all what had been said. It was starting to make sense. It was like a puzzle in her mind, slowly putting pieces together and completing the image of the whole situation. „I’ll be there then. I guess we’ll talk about this tomorrow.“ She waited for any reaction from him. He just slightly nodded as a silent agreement. „Okay.“ She said again quietly.

She stepped forwards and stopped in the middle. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure he didn’t move from the couch or disappeared which wasn’t unusual in her life _‚Still there. It’s not a dream. Crap.‘_ She opened her mouth a little to say something but changed her mind and decided she’d rather not provoke him anymore. She may be training kickbox but he was right, she was just a woman too smart for her own good, and trying his patience with her sassy remarks didn’t seem to be a good idea.

The guest room was furnished with modern furniture as in the livingroom. She noticed there was a large bed with red and black sheets in the middle. She went to the drawers made of beechwood and ran her fingers over the edges to touch lightly the surface of this fine piece of furniture. _‚He must be rich.‘_ She thought as she started searching the contents of all the drawers and closets in the room. There were a lot of clothes, fitting her too well for her liking. Loki had to know her and watched her for a long time because these things were quite private. _‚How the hell he knows my measurements‘._ Creepy as it sounded, she wasn’t even surprised. It had happened several times already. It wasn’t the first time she had been watched by weirdos and paparazzi, which actually meant the same thing.

There was a door leading to a bathroom, also very well accommodated to her needs as a guest. This was like a dream come true because all these things she’d wanted for a long time. Not that she didn’t inherited several mansions after her father died, but those had been designed for her parents and then for her father only. This room was too much of her as though Loki could read her mind before she herself even knew what she wanted.

She decided to risk it and take a soothing bath. She filled up the bathtub with hot water as she took off her clothes. She checked her arms. "Ouch," she winced. Luckily for her, they were small and not lifethreatening.

She softly touched the marks Loki'd left on her skin. It looked like little frostbites. _'Through clothes, how?'_ She knew he wasn't going to tell her anytime soon, so she gave up and sank into the hot water, below the surface to clean all the worries which had been piling in her mind up since the moment on the bridge.

After ten seconds or so she emerged from the water, ran her fingers through her long hair to smooth them back, out off her face. She didn’t open her eyes yet and rested her head on the bathtub and tried to relax her stiff muscles and ruined nerves.

She was too tired to care about Loki being in the next room. If he’d wanted to kill her, he would have done it already. There was absolutely nothing to prevent him from doing so. She still didn’t believe him coming from another world, yet from the whole fucking alternate universe. That sounded ridiculous even to her ears and she could do unbelievable things, at least for some people.

But her mind was treacherous and didn’t stop at these mysteries. She remembered Loki’s lean but muscled and strong body, those long fingers of his and emerald eyes with little sparks in them. It looked like he was hiding the universe itself in them, whole nebulas and galaxies full of stars, but also with black holes and red dwarves soon to become large dark masses of nothingness. He smelled like summer rain and in one particular moment like freshly fallen snow. Be it some other guy she met at a party, she wouldn’t hesitate and invited him into her flat, have fun a bit.

She opened her mouth slightly and moaned softly, relaxing and feeling the stress she was feeling slowly dissipating into hot water. Before her eyes, an image of Loki emerged, as though it was completely normal to think about him. She couldn’t deny he was evoking lust in her body. How she wanted to touch that smooth and pale skin of his and kiss him passionately. It was maddening. _'He's crazy, for fuck's sake.'_ The possibility of these odd thoughts being caused by his magic frightened her. She'd seen what he was capable of. "Is it even possible?" she asked herself.

She drove away these dangerous thoughts by shaking her head. Still not opening her eyes, she relaxed her body once more. The clocks from the other room were ticking given beat and it was lulling her to slumber.

She fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loki's POV (written in the rhythm of Duran Duran - Come Undone and Youssou N'Dour - 7 Seconds ft. Neneh Cherry)
> 
> Unbetad. I'm sorry for all the remaining mistakes and for letting you wait so long for this chapter. It's been a very busy couple of months. And it's going to be worse. But, now enjoy this new stuff :)

He'd have never believed that so much of their history had actually survived for many centuries, hadn't it been written in this huge and heavy book he was now reading, and even with peculiarly accurate engravings decorating it. He'd himself learned most of those runes and writings while studying magic and extending his knowledge about his own powers. His mother had often read to him from such books. He'd been intrigued with the stories from their rich history. Not that he'd ever been a fan of wars and bloodshed, but it had narrated everything about explorations and victories of Asgard. It was engaging and he'd learned a lot from those books. Even though now he knew, all those battles, most of that hatred had been focused on people who'd been actually his ancestors.

_Frost Giants._ Royal scholars, including his 'family' members, had taught him to hate them, despise them. And now, when he knew who he really was, how they could expect he would be contented with it? How was he supposed to live with it? All that loathing and hostility towards his own kind, himself.

He hissed and then noticed he'd just crumpled one of the pages of the book. He let it go immediately and tried to smooth the creases. Books were precious to him, he'd spent a lot of time in the company of the stories they held. In fact, libraries were the only company he'd seeked out back in Asgard. And for that reason others around Thor, and sometimes Thor himself, had laughed at him. Sure, he hadn't wielded sword and shield as a true warrior (even though his skills with daggers and agility of his body were more advantageous in battles), always searching for more knowledge, practising magic, solving problems with deceive, subtle tricks and intelligence. Thor, that spoilt, naïve brat, who'd never appreciated his skills, had often joined in his friends' ridicule and mockery of Loki's ways. How Thor was going to be the true king of mighty Asgard and defend other realms was beyond him. The firstborn son of Odin, All Father.

, _Wrong! The only son of Odin._ ' He snorted in disgust.

Of course, the books in royal libraries were much older than these he'd acquired during his stay in this universe. There was also information about him, or at least the version of Loki in this universe. He'd found out that their Loki was unsurprisingly also depicted as a trickster, sexually adventurous, and hadn't been to Midgard for a while. As expected, some myths and legends were biased against his person and untrue. This universe wasn't so different from his own, except the thing with the assault he'd led on New York with Chitauri army. Naturally, he'd tried to find some data to confirm the presence of Aesir on this planet, but there were none. There was absolutely nothing which would indicate they'd recently visited this version of Midgard. That meant their Loki might have never rebelled against Thor's coronation. He might have never learned about his origins; him being a Frost Giant, a trophy brought by Odin from the final battle between Jotuns and Aesir. He might have never fallen from the bridge to deep nothingness, and he might have never encountered Thanos and his crawlers. Just the thought of it being possible was devastating. Such a little piece of information, forgotten ages ago, could have changed his whole life so radically.

He mused silently, playing with the top edge of the book with his right hand, as he reached out for the tumbler he'd forgotten on the table earlier during his little talk with Bethany.

For a few seconds he let these frustrating and anxious thoughts flow away as he was looking absently at the opposite door leading to his bedroom, and sipping slowly the rest of alcohol from the glass. Then he reached down towards the table in front of him, placing now the empty tumbler casually on the surface of it, and then sinking back into the soft material of the couch.

He closed his eyes and leant into the couch with the whole weight of his upper body. Once comfortable and relaxed, he closed the book with a swift movement of his hands and left it lying on his thighs. After a moment he started rubbing small circles over his temples with his long, lean fingers to loosen the tension in his head. It wasn't working as fast as he was used to, but at least it was doing something. He couldn't help himself with his powers. It would be an unnecessary waste of his energy, which was constantly escaping his body into this universe.

He wondered if it would affect the other Loki in any way. This residual force from his universe had to go somewhere, and he knew it wouldn't be long when there would be nothing left within him. It was inevitable. Chances were the other Loki wouldn't feel a thing. Aesir might have been powerful, claiming their intelligence and superiority over other races, but there were things which stayed hidden and unclear even to them. So they might have been studying it right now, but they wouldn't find out the source. By the time they'd actually discovered the cause of all the anomalies, he'd rather be back where he belonged.

The first part of his plan to return had been finding the Tesseract. From his universe he knew that it had been lost somewhere on this planet and then found again. It hadn't been effortless to get enough information about its current location. One of the rich mortals had it displayed in his pitifully supervized mansion. He hadn't thought that securing the Tesseract would be the easier part. Such an ancient and powerful relic from the beginnings of the universe and Midgardians had no idea of its true purpose and power. It had been almost laughable.

The second part had been tedious. He'd acquired some information about Stark's blue device, called arc reactor. He'd studied it for a while when he'd got through the whole set of alarms and traps in Stark's mansion. It didn't originate from any sort of magic. Even if he'd tried, he wouldn't manage to comprehend its source of power. That was the only reason why he desperately needed Bethany cooperate with him. He knew every move, every crucial change here could result in a cascade of sever cracks in the balance between this universe and his own. He had to pay attention to details and be careful what he was doing for once. Not that he was rash in nature, on the contrary. Well, at least in the past it had been true. Impetuosity had always been Thor's speciality. He had to prevent himself from changing this place too excessively. He had a few spells to ensure that it would stay that way after he was done here.

***

It wasn't too long before he heard water running from the bathroom of the guest room. Now the tension from between his temples was slowly seeping away from his body. As the water stopped, he opened his eyes and put the book aside.

His encounter with Bethany could be viewed as a battle of wills. Obviously, he hadn't anticipated her skill to annoy him so early in their conversation. One would have thought that she had some sort of survival instict which every living creature possessed by nature. He'd never faced such arrogance and snarkiness in his whole, long life. But he shouldn't have been surprised, since he'd already met Tony Stark. And even though the background of their lives wasn't the same in one way or the other, at least from what Barton had told him about Tony, they were almost of the same blood and character.

He'd got information about her whereabouts from various sources, since he couldn't just marched into her house and asked her for a chat, as he'd done with Tony. He still remembered Tony offering him a drink, unperturbed by his presence, as if enemy army attacking his planet was a usual occurrence in his life. Later on he'd learned that it might not have been far away from the truth. If he were honest to himself - actually, it would be quite sad if he weren't - it was surprisingly amusing. This human challenged him without his armour, the only powerful thing he owned.

Loki had been controlled by the scepter, and Thanos' digging into his already weakened mind had violated all his power of will. So even if he'd wanted, he wouldn't be able to stop the invasion. This weak mortal challenged him despite all the odds being against him. It was lunacy even for Loki at that time. Tony would have died, hadn't he been immune to the power of the scepter and then mysteriously survived the fall through the window. He couldn't deny the fact that it was impressive for his standards, all the more so for a mortal being capable of such a thing.

Back then he hadn't realized that the blue device Tony'd had inside his body, close to his heart, was actually something he would need in the future. Of course, he'd asked Barton about it, though he'd learned everything but its true power. He still didn't know it and he had time to immerse in studying it and searching for the least dangerous way how to use it for his purposes.

He wasn't naïve. Bethany wouldn't have given up so easily and stayed here, hadn't he threatened her physically. She'd acted as nothing strange happened, but he knew deep inside she was scared of him, of his powers. She might be fascinated by the thought of existence of an alternate universe, yet once she'd get all the information for her own gain, she'd try to escape. And he was dreading that part. He himself knew how unpredictable these situations could be, how unpredictable _he_ could be.

He was looking around the livingroom, and stopped when his eyes spotted little traces of ice (now wet smudges) on the windowpane. He'd lost it for a moment back there. She'd been driving him insane with her lies and jokes. This situation wasn't a joke, and that was enough for him to lose his temper, and in a fit of rage and despair, he'd just grabbed her arms and forgot about everything around him. It'd felt like a dream, blurry around the edges of his sight, as he hadn't been able to control his body, just watching his arms work on its own accord. And then he'd sensed it, the magic from deep inside of him spreading through his hands into his fingers, like a uncontrollable wave, and then he realized he had to stop before it was too late.

That look on Bethany's face and her moan from hurt he'd been inflicting on her had been the crucial thing at that moment, as he'd snapped fast from the brief trance. Still hearing loud roaring in his ears, he'd quickly stepped away from her as far as possible in the room.

Naturally, he had concerns about his ability of keeping calm around her. Mortals were irritating. That fact alone annoyed him utterly. Even though he had a thing for some of them, but only those ones who'd been able to impress and surprise him. Didn't it sound somewhat familiar?

He shook his head to let these inappropriate thoughts disolve into the silence of his apartment, and reminded himself of importance of the current situation he'd been frown into. There would be a time for admitting his error later, not today.

Every aching muscle in his body started to call for his attention, and it reminded him how painful and draining the day had been, not only emotionally but also physically. He needed a long, uninterrupted sleep without any sign of a dream, though he knew it wouldn't come easily to him, if at all.

Protective wards were set into every suitable corner of his apartment, just to be sure he would be allowed to sleep, or at least to lie on his bed without disturbance, before Bethany would wake up in the morning. He hadn't forgotten on a few warning wards if she decided to disregard all his threats and advice, and tried to escape or contact any of her friends. He'd been thinking about a ward to lock the door to her room, but he would hear her anyway if she tried.

It had been a while since his sleep had been so deep and dreamless to actually let him rest until dawn. His subconscious had always provided quite a long list of horror images from the past few years, that he'd often woken up from a nightmare with a startle and cry on his lips. Even though there were no enemies from the past on this planet, no one who would actually want to harm him, at least not yet. He'd often caught himself thinking of The Avengers and their absence in this universe. It was so strange to even spare a mere thought for them, and Thor in particular, who counted now as one of them.

He'd ordered some refreshments through a delivery company. He was still getting used to the ways of this realm, luckily for him, it wasn't difficult to grasp the habits and manners of mortals.

He heard some splashes from the other room and then switching off lights. That was a cue for him to go to his own bedroom and make an attempt to sleep.

He undressed himself, bent all items of his attire over the edge of the bed, and then put on silk pants and shirt, which were, by the way, the only things he was comfortable sleeping in.

He was lying on his back for a few minutes, willing his mind to shut off and grant him a few hours of dreamless sleep. Not that the universe, whichever it was, would ever do that.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been sitting on this chapter (and the whole story actually) for a very long time and I'm ashamed of myself. I'm really bad at updating regularly and for that I'm sorry.
> 
> WARNINGS:  
> \- some references to past sexual activities

#  Chapter 6

“Bethany. Wake up.” Someone’s voice was whispering into her left ear. She felt a soft touch on her arm, too soft to be real. She thought she was dreaming it. And she did, sort of.

\---

She woke up with a small startle, eyes wide open and staring at a very unfamiliar ceiling above her. It took a while when her brain snapped into enough attention she needed to process her surroundings.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with her palms and slowly scanned the whole room, her body still covered with a very soft blanket. When getting closer to the windows, she squinted a bit from the bright sunlight streaming into the room through thin curtains.

It took her some time when she gathered enough information to accept the fact she wasn't in her room, any of them to be precise (because of course, she had more than one room, rich parents, several mansions, that rang a bell?), but none of them looked like that, decorated and furnished exactly by her own image.

 _'What the hell?'_ she paused her musings and tried to kick-start all the brain cells in her brain, willing them to actually provide her consciousnes some real and believable explanation, how she'd got here, what she were doing here, whose bed she was lying in, and answers on other such important questions. That was what her mornings usually looked like after a huge party.

She thought about the previous day, then realized it was a large step forward for her brain so early in the day without coffee in her system. So she tried to remember the events of the previous night, still nothing, and then she heard weird noises from outside the door to her room, or someone else's room.

That startled her a little but at least she knew, she was not alone in this place. She kicked the blanket off of herself and stretched out her limbs to enliven her still sleepy and weak body while trying to recall what'd happened last night.

She noticed the clock on the opposite wall as she scratched her right cheek. _'That's damn early.'_ she thought as she looked at the hands of the clock.

_9:00 am_

"Okay, why don't we start from the basic set of questions and answering them." she whispered to herself encouragingly. It was a normal procedure in situations like these when her brain was extremely slow in the uptake.

She turned on her left side, then lazily propped up onto her elbow, and inspected the other side of the bed.

 _'Good, I slept alone. Check.'_ She leant over the edge of the bed and found her clothes folded carelessly next to the bed.

 _'Alright, clothes are here in a usual heap, Check.'_ As she was starting to stand, she also checked her body. She felt fine, no signs of hangover or any other possible night activity.

 _'Even better.'_ she snorted. That was unexpected. Parties without any bruises or pain. Hmm...

While inspecting things around her, her subconscious supplied something wasn't right. As the delicious smell from the other room was creeping into her room and through her nostrils into her brain, her body tensed reflexively. Then it hit her like a hammer.

"Crap," she mutterred as the fog occupying her head disappeared, all the cogs in her brain slipped into their appropriate places, and then all of a sudden, she remembered that in the other room there was apparently a guy possessing weird, unknown powers like he'd come straight from a magical fairyland, and also claiming he was from an alternate universe. He'd also kidnapped her in the process. This was actually his place, and she'd slept here the whole damn night without even questioning her mental health. What Bill, her shrink, had said on their last meeting? That she didn't have any survival instict, risking her life for science and the fleeting feeling of adrenaline flowing in her veins? Life sucked.

"Not that good," she sighned and ran her fingers through her disheveled hair. Suddenly she wasn't that hungry anymore. She felt exhausted, unable to force her body to function properly. Not even the smell of something very tasty (Was that coffee?!) from the other room could convince her to move and cross the threshold of the door, which was probably more like a step into hell. Even if the hottest guy in the world had begged her on his knees, she wouldn't have been prepared to face all that nervewrecking stuff awaiting right outside that damned door. Well, maybe...

"Un-fucking-believable. That's just my fucking luck," she cursed silently not to let the other resident of this place know she was already awake.

She was thinking while lying on the bed again, staring at the ceiling as if it held all the secrets which she needed to find answers for. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as she wished it to be. Rubbing over her face again and massaging her scalp in the process, she tried to will her brain to function properly. She looked around the room but didn't find anything out of the ordinary. It was just a room, although quite fancy, with windows, modern furniture, several paintings hanging on the walls, no television or any other electronics.

"Oh," her brain kicked in, realising at the same moment that she had a phone in a pocket of her coat. She rummaged through it quickly to see if she could call herself some help. Certainly, there were situations in which she would gladly go with it and enjoy the rush of adrenaline in her veins, it was better than booze in some cases, but this was much bigger. Lunetics usually didn't claim that they were from another universe, or aliens for that matter, needed her help to send them back wherever it was.

"Shit!" she sweared angrily. There was no signal. "Shit, shit, shit. I'm fucked, aren't I." Talking to herself usually helped her to get it all together and suppress the panic which was slowly rising from the pit of her stomach through her lungs and seizing them into a very tight twist. She tried to bottle up her fear, as she always did when in danger or stressful situations, and let her famous brain think of a plan how to get out of this shit.

She sighed loudly, letting her head fall on the pillow, and closed her eyes. Maybe it was just a vivid dream from drinking too much whiskey, or something.

"Yeah, that's a good theory," she sighed again and made an attempt to fall asleep and prayed for whomever was listening, be it just a bad dream.

 

***

In the meantime, behind the door Loki was preparing something which he would like to call a breakfast. Well, it wasn't breakfast he'd been used to in Asgard, however, he'd never revelled in royal festivities. When thinking about it, he'd never felt as he'd ever belonged there. He was so much different from other Aesir, he had other pursuits, even people of other races visiting the royal family were different. He'd never met anyone who would have appealled to his mind with their skills and character. And obviously, he'd never met another Jotun in friendly terms, even though he was sure it wouldn't have helped anyway. He was different from them, too.

"Hmm. Now it makes sense," he thought and kept on making coffee. Another thing mortals were addicted to, and as before he didn't understand why they liked it so much. It was bitter. He grimaced in disgust. And it might not have been at the memory of tasting coffee, but more at the situation he was in now, standing in the kitchen, making coffee for a mortal like a maid. Could he degrade himself even further then he already had? A good question, so he should better stop right now and eat something before he'd destroy another device in the kitchen to let off some steam, even though it was not entirely a bad idea.

It was simple to grasp the way of living on this planet but it didn't mean it was easy to adjust his manners and habits to that of an ordinary mortal. Surely, he'd somewhat managed, even though there'd been some complications, destroyed devices, but he'd got used to it all with a trial and error process. Desperate situations required desperate measures. Not that he would ever admit it.

**Author's Note:**

> Some of my friends read chapter 1 a long time ago (around 5 months), but since then it's been changed several times. So I'm not sure I can say it's betad. All the mistakes are my own.
> 
> Comments/kudos/suggestions are always appreciated :).


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